Image forming apparatuses such as electrophotographic copy machines, fax machines, printers, plotters, and printing machines often have operations sections (operations panels) fixed at an angle with respect to exterior panels of apparatus bodies in view of the visual field of users during use and usability. However, since the operations sections are fixed, reduction of visibility of display sections, which show various kinds of information, provided in the operations section may occur due to reflection of room light or the like. In recent years and continuing, more and more wheelchair users are participating in society. Many of the operations sections of the image forming apparatuses are mounted on the apparatus top faces, so that the operations sections are too high for the wheelchair users to use. In view of such problems, image forming apparatuses having variable angle mechanisms for adjusting the angle of operations sections with respect to exterior panels of apparatus bodies are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example.
<Patent Document 1> Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-345087
<Patent Document 2> Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-337506
The image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an operations section rotatably mounted with respect to an apparatus body, and an angle holding member interposed between the operations section and the apparatus body. It is, however, difficult to adjust the angle with this configuration. The image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 is provided with an angle holding member including a torque limiter for maintaining the position of an operations section, but does not have a function for adjusting the operations section to the same position again. Moreover, because a force greater than holding force of the torque limiter needs to be applied to move the operations section, it is not easy to adjust the angle of the operations section.